PS3 pegged at $500 ?

[Zeus]

Analysts and developers told CNN Money on Wednesday that Sony's Playstation 3 will likely price at $499.


The prediction is in line with a Nov. 2 Merrill Lynch report that estimates the PS3 hardware to cost $495 to manufacture.

Sony has yet to make an official announcement on price or the release date of the Playstation 3 successor.

The system was a no-show at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and the company has backed away from its spring 2006 release date on press releases.

A $499 price point would be an all-time high for the Playstation brand, which has sold at launch for $299 since its debut in 1995.

The culprit for the pricey hardware lies in the PS3's complex CELL processor and its Blu-ray Disc drive that will play high-definition media.

The $499 is not the only price point that analysts and developers suggest. Several say that the cost could reach $600-$700, while others believe that the electronics giant will match the Xbox 360's premium price of $399.

Historically, Sony has sold its hardware at a loss to recoup on software and accessory sales that offer a higher premium.

Prior to the Playstation 2 launch, analysts suggested that the system may sell for as high as $500. Sony surprised press and analysts with a $299 price tag at an annual video games convention.

Sony may be willing to take a substantial loss to push the Playstation brand and its Blu-ray Disc media, which is in competition against Toshiba's HD DVD high-definition format.

Blu-ray Disc has enough backers to become the market's next de factor disc format for multimedia and is an important strategy to fuel Sony's music, movie, and gaming divisions.

Rival Microsoft said it will offer an external HD DVD drive to Xbox 360 owners sometime in 2006.


News Source: <a href="http://news.punchjump.com/article.php?id=1890" target="_blank">punchjump.com</a>

[Almighty_Peanut]

Sony has yet to make an official announcement on price or the release date of the Playstation 3 successor.


^^^^^^^^^
They're already working on the PS4?

[Kevin Layne]

Sony has stated in the same press conference no less then 50,000 JpYen, so that it about 425 USD. so i dont see a 399 price point being possible. maybe 449 US sounds good, I will pay more in Cdn Funds, but i paid 549 cdn for the ps2 when it come out to. so i will pay the same for the ps3 as well!!!

[Charbless]

No matter what the price is UK people will still be paying way over the odds for it we always do this needs to be sorted its becoming very annoying that we pay same price in pound as the dollar exchange rate clearly shows half the dollar and you get pound rate.

[Crazycasem21]

In total I spent $$$ on the 360 with some sweet games/schwag/etc. but I will have to spend probably a third more on the PS3 plus some bling for a new LCD . From what I saw from 50+ stores here in NYC its better to wait for the newer tvs to come out and some xmas price drops. Plus the 360 games that are out aren't pushing the hardware yet. Plus I hope to see MGS4, GTA6, and of course hopefully FFVII Remake. 500 for BR-DVD+60GB HD+ Dual HDMI+ Nextgen Goodness, I can't complain. Reserve it or get screwed.

[whackawookie]

In total I spent $$$ on the 360 with some sweet games/schwag/etc. but I will have to spend probably a third more on the PS3 plus some bling for a new LCD . From what I saw from 50+ stores here in NYC its better to wait for the newer tvs to come out and some xmas price drops. Plus the 360 games that are out aren't pushing the hardware yet. Plus I hope to see MGS4, GTA6, and of course hopefully FFVII Remake. 500 for BR-DVD+60GB HD+ Dual HDMI+ Nextgen Goodness, I can't complain. Reserve it or get screwed.

reserving a system for ps3 first wave of systems is a horrible mistake. ps2 still arent made properly and there on what ver 14? sony bringing blu-ray to the table with a new system only means more problems then the 360 but i bet people wont make as big a deal as they did with the 360. save ur money until the january system or face a dead laser within two to three months.

[girbear2]

reserving a system for ps3 first wave of systems is a horrible mistake. ps2 still arent made properly and there on what ver 14? sony bringing blu-ray to the table with a new system only means more problems then the 360 but i bet people wont make as big a deal as they did with the 360. save ur money until the january system or face a dead laser within two to three months.
I agree completely. I call people who must have a new system on launch Beta Testers. :rolleyes:

[AceMilo]

That won't stop me from preordering at least 2 and flipping them on ebay instantly :). Hell, if they are 500 a piece plus games, etc, say 1000 a bundle, i can probably flip them on ebay for at least 2k each, mmmm 2k total profit :). God I love dumb ppl who are too dumb to preorder online and who are willing to pay a ridiculous markup just to have it a month before xmas.

[whackawookie]

That won't stop me from preordering at least 2 and flipping them on ebay instantly :). Hell, if they are 500 a piece plus games, etc, say 1000 a bundle, i can probably flip them on ebay for at least 2k each, mmmm 2k total profit :). God I love dumb ppl who are too dumb to preorder online and who are willing to pay a ridiculous markup just to have it a month before xmas.


lmao..... now that i think about it, maybe i should do the same thing. who am i kidding, my dumb ass would end up keeping one because im a tech junkie so to save the anger and trouble ill wait until launch and then reserve a system to get almost a promised second wave system

[girbear2]

That won't stop me from preordering at least 2 and flipping them on ebay instantly :). Hell, if they are 500 a piece plus games, etc, say 1000 a bundle, i can probably flip them on ebay for at least 2k each, mmmm 2k total profit :). God I love dumb ppl who are too dumb to preorder online and who are willing to pay a ridiculous markup just to have it a month before xmas.

Why flip them. Just sell the empty box with a suitable disclaimer. :p

[DeVS]

lol, thats dirty. Funny as hell though when someone does it.

[Crazycasem21]

Beta tester or not I rather get it at launch. At least three. Family keeps coming over to "visit" and not bring me a new 360 game for me. Almost forgot the Sharp Aquos is the choice for LCD with a resolution of 1366 x 768 plus 2 HDMI inputs for split screen action. A few Samsung DLP TVs are close. The real problem setting up two rocker boxes along with 8 speakers without getting a second reciever.